Mister Creecher

by Chris Priestley

Overview

Billy is a street urchin, a pickpocket, and a petty thief. Mister Creecher is a giant of a man whose appearance terrifies everyone he meets. Their relationship begins as a matter of convenience. But before long, a bond develops between these two misfits as they embark on a bloody journey that will take them from London northward on the trail of their target . . . Doctor Victor Frankenstein. It seems the good doctor had promised Mister Creecher a bride, and Mister Creecher will stop at nothing to get what he's been promised. Nothing.

Perfect for fans of horror novels, this frightening new book from Chris Priestley reinvents a classic literary monster for a new generation of readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781408811054
Publisher:	Bloomsbury UK
Publication date:	03/28/2012
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

CHRIS PRIESTLEY's novels are inspired by the long-loved tradition of horror stories by authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley.

www.chrispriestley.blogspot.com

Editorial Reviews

Priestley’s literary mashup of Dickens and Shelley makes for an entertaining adventure tale and potential gateway into those writers’ works. Fifteen-year-old urchin and thief Billy is attacked as he loots a corpse he finds on a London street, and he’s surprised when the body roars to life and saves him. His ghastly new companion introduces himself as “Creecher,” and he and Billy form an uneasy partnership. In return for Creecher’s protection, Billy helps spy on the mysterious Victor Frankenstein and his friend Henry Clerval. As Billy learns more about Creecher and Frankenstein, he is not only horrified at the misuse of science, but also at their callousness, something that undermines what little faith in humanity he still possesses. Priestley (the Tales of Terror series) paints a bleak picture, starting his characters in already depressing circumstances before setting them down a path with little hope. The dreariness is offset by Priestley’s vivid writing, which melds its influences with strong action and horror scenes, and should intrigue readers about the future fate of the leads. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Looking younger than his 15 years but hardened by a life on the streets of 19th-century London, Billy accidentally befriends a monstrous man in this electrifying story set against the events of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Struggling to survive in Dickensian squalor, Billy—orphan, thief and former chimney sweep—has resorted to picking corpses' pockets. No one is as surprised as Billy when his newest target wakes and saves Billy from vicious attackers. The rescuer's frightful appearance masks an Austen-loving, French-speaking and vegetarian soul. Though perpetually repulsed by "Mister Creecher," Billy agrees to spy upon Victor Frankenstein in exchange for protection. Pursuing Frankenstein and the promise of a female companion for Creecher, the unlikely duo follows the doctor out of London and into the untamed countryside, where they encounter grave robbers, circus sideshow performers and love. Creecher is often a more sympathetic character than Billy, but both figures evolve appreciably during their journey. Priestly combines a coming-of-age story with the gloomy atmosphere, moral dilemmas and slow pacing of Shelly's classic and the grime and casual cruelty of Dickens' Oliver Twist. Observant readers may also notice allusions to monster movies and Romantic poets.

By turns brooding and ghoulish, this old-fashioned gothic horror story is one lively read. (author's note) (Fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews